Meet Esther and Bella - patients who are seen by our spine experts. Learn more about their journey below.

Blog written by Esther and Bella's mom, Erin. 

Our twins, Esther and Bella, are the youngest of our five children. When they were about 9 months old, they were both diagnosed with torticollis, or a twisting of the neck that rotates the head, and we started doing physical therapy for their necks. We also learned that this condition can sometimes be a precursor for scoliosis.  

Fast forward to when the twins started to walk. One day, our babysitter was bathing them, and as she was dressing them, she noticed that they each had a large curve in their back. Thankfully the babysitter shared her concerns with us. Esther and Bella were then formally diagnosed with infantile scoliosis — Esther had about a 99-degree curve and Bella’s was around 65 degrees.

We then started on the journey of correction. Since the twins were young, we decided to start their treatment with bracing.  It was a specialized brace and quite expensive. At that time, we lived in Northern California, but during this part of their treatment, our family moved to Plano, TX. We were able to transfer their care to Scottish Rite for Children and both girls started seeing Dr. McIntosh. After little success we moved on to casting.

In June of 2020, both girls had surgery to insert MAGEC growing rods in their backs. This was during COVID, and hospital restrictions were in play. The doctors were able to get the girls in the same recovery room, which made it easy for me to care for them while their dad was at home with the other siblings. The recovery immediately following the surgery was difficult, especially since the girls were so young, only 4 years old. But everyone we encountered was incredibly kind and patient. 

Looking at the twins now, at 5 years old, one would never realize they have metal rods in their backs. They each love sports, swimming and helping me in the kitchen. Esther has a special love of ballet, and Bella loves modern dance. They cannot stop climbing and moving around — truly remarkable humans.

We thank Scottish Rite every day for their world-class care! From the personal education the parents receive to the extra time and care from every staff member, we have never felt in better care. Scottish Rite is truly a special place where the twins love to come, and they actually look forward to their appointments with Dr. McIntosh! They even talk about becoming a doctor someday, all because of our happy experiences at Scottish Rite.
 

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